Terrible suspension on my FZ-07

[Moto Beck]

http://www.fz07r.com/merch/

I've heard the full conversion is somewhere in the $7k range but not 100% sure on that - it's a pretty extensive overhaul and from what i've heard - totally not worth it.

Cool idea though

 

[louemc]

First of all, let me ask a stupid question:

What exactly does "soft" suspension vs. "hard" suspension feel like on a bike? To me, "soft" sounds like it would be extremely bouncy, and "hard" or "stiff" sounds like it would be jolty/not enough bounce. I talked to my mechanic today and it seems like it is the other way around.

Before I bought my fz-07, I read many reviews which raved about the little bike but warned of too soft suspension. When I bought it, I immediately noticed that any bump or unevenness in the road would send mini violent jolts up my body and compared to all the other bikes I have owned, (zx6r/ex250/ex300/en500) this one is by far the worst. Annoying, but I figured I could get used to it. The other night I was entering the highway through a corner around 50-60 mph and a patch of uneven pavement made me feel like I would go flying.

Fed up, I brought my bike to my mechanic today and he said the front is non-adjustable (true, from my research) and the back can only adjust preload, which might even make it worse. He said perhaps we could add half my weight in oil to the forks, but it would be quite costly to drain and fill and may not even help. This mechanic seems to turn away jobs that are too complicated or time-consuming but at least I trust him not to charge me for unnnecessary jobs.

I told him I was also interested in the new 2017 Z650 (maybe going back to Kawi is the way to go), and he told me not to expect too much out of it.

Sorry for the tangent, I'm feeling a little down right now. Does anyone have experience working on the bike that could bring some insight as to whether pre-load adjustment, fork oil, or anything else might help me not feel like an earthquake is shaking the bones out of me? For reference I'm roughly 140 lbs with all my gear and I understand these bikes are typically set up for 180 lbs.

You need to go to a suspension Pro... Not a ??? Mechanic.

I've been out of the Bay Area, too long to know which service to recommend.

 

[mean dad]

...Fed up, I brought my bike to my mechanic today and he said the front is non-adjustable (true, from my research) and the back can only adjust preload, which might even make it worse. He said perhaps we could add half my weight in oil to the forks, but it would be quite costly to drain and fill and may not even help. This mechanic seems to turn away jobs that are too complicated or time-consuming but at least I trust him not to charge me for unnnecessary jobs.

My version of the "costly" process:

Turn the drain screws on the forks lefty-loosey until they fall into your drain pan, followed by a bunch of used fork oil. Eeewww.
Get the drain screws out of the oil and put them back in their home, turning righty tighty until snug.
Pop the top off the forks and pull the springs.
Fill with heavier oil than you started with to recommended level (120mm from top of collapsed fork tube, iirc).
Put the springs back and pop the tops back on, go ride.

Add a touch more oil for even more stiffenerization.


There are a couple of details omitted, but for all intents and purposes, this is it as far as swapping fork oil goes.
More free fork mods? Cut an inch or so off the spring and add some pvc to make up for the difference. Stiffens it up, but you can't really go back if you screw up. Fortunately, there's lots of folks spending money on new internals so you could easily pick up a set of stock springs cheap to fuck with.


These obviously will not be as good as quality parts sourced specifically for this model and your riding weight/style/etc, but I'm a cheap bastard from way back and always try to find a DIY solution before I pay for parts or service.

 

[ratlab]

iv'e got 3 sets of 41mm fork springs lying around you can have for free-problem is on the Fz there is no damping on the rear shock and the front is to soft-worst case scenario-replace the rear shock with something good and the front will seem better and the fork oil,spring mod you suggest would probably seem pretty decent.

 

[El Feo]

Looks like the FZ07 has damper rod forks ( old style). They can be pretty soft, installing emulators, correct springs and proper oil will help a lot. Just springs and oil will help a lot. Basically the fork tech is fifty years old. I'm sure people are replacing them with cartridge forks.

I know it's been said. But ^here's^ your answer.

My version of the "costly" process:

Turn the drain screws on the forks lefty-loosey until they fall into your drain pan, followed by a bunch of used fork oil. Eeewww.
Get the drain screws out of the oil and put them back in their home, turning righty tighty until snug.
Pop the top off the forks and pull the springs.
Fill with heavier oil than you started with to recommended level (120mm from top of collapsed fork tube, iirc).
Put the springs back and pop the tops back on, go ride.

Add a touch more oil for even more stiffenerization.


There are a couple of details omitted, but for all intents and purposes, this is it as far as swapping fork oil goes.
More free fork mods? Cut an inch or so off the spring and add some pvc to make up for the difference. Stiffens it up, but you can't really go back if you screw up. Fortunately, there's lots of folks spending money on new internals so you could easily pick up a set of stock springs cheap to fuck with.


These obviously will not be as good as quality parts sourced specifically for this model and your riding weight/style/etc, but I'm a cheap bastard from way back and always try to find a DIY solution before I pay for parts or service.

I've only worked on cartridge forks. I've never seen a "drain plug", only the bolt that holds the cartridge which can (sort of) be used for draining but the axle has to be pulled to get to it. Is there a drain plug on damper rod forks?

How do you cut the spring and not leave a sharp edge? Wouldn't it be less than ideal to not have a flat mating surface to the spacer?

 

[mean dad]

I know it's been said. But ^here's^ your answer.



I've only worked on cartridge forks. I've never seen a "drain plug", only the bolt that holds the cartridge which can (sort of) be used for draining but the axle has to be pulled to get to it. Is there a drain plug on damper rod forks?

How do you cut the spring and not leave a sharp edge? Wouldn't it be less than ideal to not have a flat mating surface to the spacer?

Details omitted, as stated.
I heat the cut end and tamp it flat onto itself for a flat surface, as close to original as I can.
If there is no drain screw, I would drop the forks and empty the oil.
I did a quick Google scan and didn't see anything about having to pull the forks to drain the oil on the FZ07, but I wasn't looking terribly hard.

If I couldn't or didn't want to go through the hassle of dropping the forks I'd merely siphon as much out as I could get and add a heavier oil back to the proper level. No idea what it starts with or what would be added, but I've run plenty of bikes with about 12 or 13 weight fork oil because ten was too soft and fifteen too firm but Goldilocks be looking for that middle ground.

 

[motomeek]

Ever checked out FZ07.org?

There are tons of thread and vendors focused on suspension.

I've gotten the suspension adjusted to my weight (150LB) and it made a noticeable difference.

 

[sprorchid]

Annie, if you are in the east bay you can ride my 09 zx6r, it's set up for a slow track rider, and it's pretty stiff for street riding. So is my cbr, but in general the honda has a softer suspension than my gen zx6r.

 

[chrisweir.com]

First of all, let me ask a stupid question:

No such thing.

I have an FJ09 and I love it now that I've done the suspension upgrades. There are many options,
and many opinions, but I'm pretty sure the minimum upgrades you need to enjoy riding your bike are:

Rear: Replacement shock
Front: oil, emulators, and correct rate springs

Superplush or Catalyst would seem to be the well regarding local choices.

Premium suspension components transformed my bike. Good luck!

 

[Rob]

Is the bike used and set up for a heavier rider or brand new off the floor?

I'm surprised the suspension is too stiff off the floor.

 

[ratlab]

Is the bike used and set up for a heavier rider or brand new off the floor?

I'm surprised the suspension is too stiff off the floor.

no it's not-set up for usual 150- lbs-rear shock has no dampening,comp or rebound, and front is soft,set up for her weight-all she needs is a good rear shock and front will feel ok for her at 140 lbs.it doesn't take much to get suspension sorted and make this bike awesome-agree on FZ07.org forum.